Tea Party pushes participation

Not because we support the "Taxed Enough Already Emmet County" group or because we back President Obama supporters and Democrats. It's because of the parties' ability to mobilize the masses.

There seems to be a new mindset in the air - the only way to see action is to get involved. And that's refreshing.

Hundreds of people of all ages and political affiliations gathered Friday in Petoskey's Pennsylvania Park for the Tea Party. Aside from the Fair Tax push at the heart of the rally, it brought people together to vocalize their beliefs in a significant community forum.

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While some partisanship has threatened the Tea Party mantra, "We're not Democrats, we're not Republicans, we're Americans," for the most part these gatherings have left the parties and politicians at the doorstep.

Way to go with a new political message. It's nice to see activists not generalizing issues.

In addition to championing the Fair Tax initiative, Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher brought his personal platform to the stage. Kudos to event organizers, "Taxed Enough Already Emmet County," for bringing someone of notoriety to the event. Even those who don't agree with Wurzelbacher's politics can relish the moments Emmet County spent at the center of an ongoing national debate.

And we did get noticed. Page views at www.petoskeynews.com for the preview story, "Tea Party set for this Friday: 'Joe the Plumber' amongst expected crowd" and live interview were off the charts as readers engaged in an online discussion and built their case for the coming event. The Huffington Post picked up the story and our live interview at Blog Talk Radio was a featured show.

Your voices were heard.

We aren't here to be pro- or anti- Tea Party, what we support is the process and initiative behind it. When Emmet County residents stood up and voiced their opinions, not only did their neighbors listen but the rest of the country took notice.

Just think of the influence society could have if we each chose one issue we were passionate about and advocated for that with even half the passion many have for following the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup playoffs. We know this much, each of us would be a lot more satisfied with our representation in Lansing and Washington.